Circular asks ministers, Devendra Fadnavis to vacate offices

Mumbai: With the imposition of President’s rule in Maharashtra, all powers and rights of ministers have ceased to exist from Wednesday. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari will oversee the functioning of the government on behalf of the President.

The General Administration Department (GAD) has issued circular asking ministers, including the chief minister, to vacate their offices and handover possession of official files and furniture to department officials by Wednesday evening. Sources informed that some ministers have already started leaving their offices and piles of documents have been lying outside their offices.

The GAD order is applicable to all ministries, OSDs (officers on special duty) working for ministers, personal secretaries and personal assistants. They have been directed to submit their telephone bills and return the identity cards issued to them to the GAD. They have also been told to return official files, confidential documents, office stationery and furniture among others.

President’s rule came into force Tuesday evening, 19 days after the top three parties – BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP – failed to prove their majority for government formation due to lack of numbers.

The BJP, which won a maximum 105 seats in the 288-member house, declined to stake claim to form the government as its alliance partner Shiv Sena (56 seats) refused to lend support. The third-largest party NCP (54 seats) too, could not muster the requisite numbers.